They touched and stroked her for several minutes, all clustered around her, seeming to not care how their bodies were entwined. To be at the center of that much love awed her.
Heath finally kissed her shoulder and gently pulled from her ass, which throbbed and felt tender. She still wouldn’t have traded their time together for anything. Heath patted her derriere to get her attention and then carefully cleaned her up. She blushed as he stroked a bit of some sort of ointment around her tingling opening and he whispered, “That will help. We don’t want you hurting tomorrow.”
He left the bed again and the shower came on in the bathroom. She knew she shouldn’t get too comfortable in their bed. It was Sunday night and she needed to be home at a decent hour. Just then her stomach growled.
Cody chuckled and sat up after she lifted off of him and he pushed her back down into the pillows. “You stay here and we’ll bring supper to you.”
“Mmm,” she murmured as Cody and Spencer kissed her and left the room. She didn’t know how long she floated in a heavenly sort of languor but she opened her eyes when the bed moved and she realized she’d fallen asleep.
Smelling woodsy and clean like his soap, Heath cuddled up to her and laid his warm palm on her hip. “Hey, sleeping beauty, you okay?”
She snuggled to him and nodded, burying her nose in his chest hair, breathing him in. “That was even better than I thought it would be. Lucy told me what it was like but said I wouldn’t understand until I experienced it for myself.”
“I wish you could stay with us tonight,” he murmured as he swept his big, gentle hand up her back. “I love sleeping with you.”
It took effort to swallow the lump in her throat. “I love sleeping with you, too. I wish I could stay. Leaving here at night to go home feels so wrong. It makes me feel…”
“What, baby?”
She shook her head, unable to tell him that it made her feel hopeless. There was no way to explain. She didn’t feel right about asking them where they saw the relationship going. It was obvious. They’d bought a house that they were fixing up, with the intention of making a commitment. If she said something, then she’d worry that they were thinking she expected a proposal. She wanted it all to happen, if it ever did, in a natural way and to not be forced or hurried because of some outside problem. Every time she got together with them the thought of making a choice between her career and the men she loved seemed more inevitable, and more frightening.
Cody and Spencer returned with food and drinks and they watched the recap of the games that weekend.
Heath seemed to watch her more closely. He was usually not the one who worried but she could sense it in his eyes every time they looked at each other. He said nothing, letting her tease them instead about losing the bet when the announcer mentioned the Texans’ win from earlier in the week.
She showered and dressed and shared kisses with all three of them at the door, wishing it wasn’t the end of the evening so much it hurt. They seemed to understand and didn’t bring up how much they’d miss her which somehow made it even harder because she could see it in their eyes. She knew her bears. This was hard on them, too.
Chapter Twenty
The week progressed slowly for Maizy. Tuesday night had been rough because she’d had a teacher’s meeting to attend and hadn’t been able to spend it with them. They’d made it clear she could come over any night she wanted to. She nearly gave in several times but she’d had things that needed to be done.
Lucy’s wedding was in three short weeks, and helping her with the tasks that needed to be accomplished was a good distraction for Maizy. But by the end of the week she ached with need any time she thought of her bears. Friday rolled around and promised to be the longest day yet as the hunger for their company increased.
Maizy was making the short walk back to her classroom after dropping her class off at physical education when Mrs. Dumphrey caught up with her in the hallway after dropping off her students as well.
“Miss Owen, may I have a word?”
Maizy cringed inwardly, but smiled. “Certainly.” She opened the door to her classroom and allowed Mrs. Dumphrey to enter first. Mrs. Dumphrey pulled the door closed behind her and said, “Miss Owen, I wanted to share my concern with you.”
“About?”
“The rather large tattooed man I saw you with at the grocery store last weekend.”
“Yes, ma’am?” Maizy replied, bracing herself.
“The impression you make as a shaper of young minds is very important to the image of the Divine Independent School District. That wasn’t the first time I’d seen you with him. I also saw you at O’Reilley’s with him and two of his friends before they drove off on those obnoxiously loud Harley motorcycles. I understand that your brother, Patrick, has involved himself in an illicit relationship with another man and woman. I hope that you’re not…choosing the wrong path for yourself, as well. I know your father would be mortified—”
“What my father thinks has no bearing on my social life, Mrs. Dumphrey. I’m thirty-three years old and I don’t need his approval.” She spoke her mind but was very careful with her tone.
“I suppose that’s true but to serve the community of Divine in the capacity you do, you absolutely do need the confidence of its citizens. I’m sorry to bring up your father. It’s just that I come from a different generation that cared what our elders thought of us.”
Maizy did the math on that one and nearly called bullshit because Mrs. Dumphrey would’ve been in her early twenties in the 1970s but decided that it might not be wise to poke this particular hornet’s nest.
“Mrs. Dumphrey, I appreciate your concern. Mr. Ketchum is a good man and I wouldn’t hurt him any more than I would my students or their parents. But I am entitled to privacy.” A wave of protective fury warred inside of her but she quelled it, knowing that it wouldn’t help to reveal her true feelings. The need for her bears, to feel their comforting arms around her, slammed into her so hard she felt breathless.
“As long as you’re not accused and found guilty of immoral or indecent conduct, Miss Owen. I hope that I’ve made my position clear on the matter.”
“Very clear, ma’am.”
“My daughter tells me that you made a big difference to my granddaughter when she was learning to read last year. You’re an able teacher and I think it would be a shame for you to throw that all away on a…questionable relationship.”
“I’ll take that under advisement, Mrs. Dumphrey, and I appreciate your concern. Mr. Ketchum is one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.” She wished she could voice a similar belief about Cody and Heath but didn’t dare feed Mrs. Dumphrey’s suspicion. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
The older woman raised an eyebrow and nodded her head. “As you say. Have a good afternoon.”
Maizy sat at her desk and looked down at her shaking hands.
It’s only going to get worse, and you know it, girl.
* * * *
Cody tilted Maizy’s chin up and searched her warm brown eyes for some hint at her mood. Ever since arriving at their house late Friday afternoon she’d been less talkative than usual. His gut told him she was sad about something but that he should wait for her to talk to them. He glanced over at Heath and found that his brother was watching her, too. He made eye contact with Cody and shrugged, concern obvious in his eyes.
Ryan, Ben, and Quinten were handling security at the Twisted Bull that night and they were utilizing the rare weekend night off by taking her for her first motorcycle ride.
He leaned down to her, as she stood beside Spencer’s bike, and kissed her. She laid her palms on his biceps and her lips trembled under his. The urge was strong to demand that she tell them what was troubling her but he wanted to get her away from Divine first. She seemed like she needed the break. She looked up at him and he noted her misty eyes.
Spencer came out of the garage with his extra helmet and the seat rest and handed the helmet to Cody, all while watching her.
Over her shoulder he lifted his chin at Cody, a slight but telling gesture. They were all reading her emotions.
“Do you think all of my hair will fit in that helmet?” she asked, trying for a bit of levity as Cody put the helmet in her hands and then turned her and started gently twisting her curly locks into a thick rope. She hummed softly and he smiled when he saw the gooseflesh on her arms. He liked touching and handling her hair but liked even more that she enjoyed it, too.
“It’ll fit just fine, baby,” Heath said as he took the helmet and slipped it on her head and then Cody tucked the jet black coil he’d created into the back of the helmet. “That may feel weird at first but it’ll keep your hair from getting knotted up in the wind.”
“I’ll braid it next time,” she murmured. Cody noticed when she quickly averted her gaze and worry settled in. “Where are we going?” she added quickly as Spencer secured the backrest for the rear seat on the bike for her and climbed on. He started the bike, stabilized it so she could climb on behind him, and reached over his shoulder to take her hand. Cody helped her onto the seat behind Spencer.
“We won’t go too far. We just want to get you out of Divine for a little while. Hang on to me and enjoy the ride,” Spencer said as Cody and Heath climbed on their bikes and started them.
She wrapped her arms around Spencer and scooted forward until her body was practically wrapped around his. Cody smiled, thinking that must feel good to Spencer, given the satisfied smile on his brother’s face.
Cody reached out and lowered the face shield on her helmet and saw her smiling eyes through the tinted covering. Whatever was bothering her, they could work on it together. He let Spencer take the lead down the driveway and watched as she laid her head against his back and seemed to relax a little.
They drew a few stares as they took it slow through Divine on the way to Bowie Lake. They had perfect weather for her first ride and a couple of hours of daylight left before they stopped for supper. They arrived at the turnoff to Bowie Lake and Spencer pulled over at the first unoccupied picnic area and cut the motor on his bike. The picnic table overlooked the water and provided a nice view.
Cody helped her take off her helmet and steadied her when she made her first awkward attempt at climbing off the bike. “Don’t worry, baby. It feels weird the first time but you’ll be an old pro in no time,” he murmured as she collided with his chest.
“I tingle all over from the vibration but that was…exhilarating,” she said, seeming happier as she looked up at him.
“Good,” Heath said as they walked over to the picnic table and she sat down on it, facing the water. “What’s troubling you today, baby?”
She looked off over the water as the breeze ruffled her hair. “Mrs. Dumphrey paid me a visit today.” She gave them a brief rundown on the conversation and then added, “When I returned to my classroom after taking care of the kids until they were all picked up, I found my father waiting for me.”
That explains a lot.
Cody sat down beside her on the picnic table and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and slipped her arms around his waist. She already understood how they felt about her and what they were willing to do to make the relationship easier for her. It seemed more important to just let her talk.
“He wouldn’t tell me how he knew, but he knows about Spencer and demanded to know if I was involved with the three of you.”
Standing in front of her, Heath reached out and stroked her chin. Spencer sat on the table on her other side and she slid a hand over his thigh. Cody’s heart thumped as he waited for her to continue, wondering how she’d answered. Had she hid the fact that she was in a relationship with them? Or would she risk all and admit to it?
“I told him that it was none of his business what his grown daughter did in her private life and then I told him, yes, I am involved with the three of you…that I’m in love with the three of you. He wasn’t pleased at all.”
Cody lifted his hand from her shoulder and caressed the side of her head as she looked up at him. He kissed her temple and said, “I love you, too, angel.”
“I wanted to tell you that in a private moment, like I did with Heath and Spencer but I wanted you to know exactly what I told him, Cody. I do love you.”
He sighed and squeezed her gently. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ in that statement.”
She shook her head. “No buts about that. I love you. I do. But I also know something will have to give. Mrs. Dumphrey was very clear in her opinion. She may respect me as a teacher but she won’t hesitate to do what she feels is best for the school. This is going to come down to me making a choice.”
“Damn,” Spencer growled.
She rested her forehead in her hands and braced her elbows on her thighs. “I knew it would come down to this. I just hoped for more time before I was forced to make a choice.”
A hot pain entered Cody’s heart when he saw her brush the heel of her hand against her cheek and a soft sob escaped her. The three of them glanced at each other and his agony was reflected in Spencer and Heath’s eyes when they looked at him.
Heath shook his head and looked away across the lake with suddenly bloodshot eyes. Spencer slid his fingers through his closely cropped hair, and Cody had the impression that if it was longer he’d be yanking on it. The hurt was obvious in their eyes as they looked back at him. After a long hesitation they both nodded.
Cody slid off the table and tugged at her hand. “Come on, baby. Let us show you the lake view road. It’s pretty at sunset.” While he held her hand, he pressed his lips to the top of it. Instead of smiling, she looked ready to burst into tears.
She swallowed audibly as she climbed down from the table and let them draw her back to the bikes. After fixing her hair herself, she got on the bike behind Spencer and gave him a thumbs-up once her helmet was on. The ride was beautiful, the glorious colors of sunset reflected on the water in rays of pink, orange, and red.
They stopped in a little hole-in-the-wall town and ate at a lakeside restaurant that had a Friday night fish fry during the summer months. They sat off to the side at a secluded table and she fed them bites of catfish from her fingers and giggled when they kissed her fingertips.
Despite the sweetness of the moment, the pain was awful. He couldn’t see any way around it and saw no way to make it easier on her.
They’d just reached the bikes in a corner of the parking lot when she said, “Tell me what’s going through your mind, Cody.” She put her hands on his cheeks and gazed at him. He could see the anxiety in her eyes and feel it in her trembling hands. “Tell me.”
Heath and Spencer drew near, closing her in with their bodies, and Cody said, “We won’t make you choose between the career that you were born to have, and us. It’s not fair to you.”
She sat up and looked up at him pleadingly. Shock was clear in her eyes as it dawned on her what he was saying. He knew then she’d been ready to sacrifice the job she loved in order to be with them. “No. No, no, no. Please, Cody. Don’t—” Tears overflowed her eyes and his heart felt like it was pumping battery acid. “We don’t know what will happen. This could all work out.”
Cody shook his head. “No, baby. If we continue, we’d be sneaking around, trying to protect you, worrying all the time, and probably wind up getting caught anyway. It’s better that we end it before we’re in too deep.”
“It’s already too late for that, Cody. I love you,” she whispered in a husky voice, chin trembling and big tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked up at him. He nearly broke and gave in. The sight of the woman he loved in pain made him feel powerless and out of control. It was the worst sensation he’d ever experienced.
Heath stroked her arms and drew her attention to him. He wasn’t doing much better, judging by the way his jaw was clenching and his pained stare. “Baby, don’t. Can’t you see how hard this is for Cody, for us? We never should’ve pursued you once we found out you were a kindergarten teacher. This is all our fault.”
&n
bsp; “No. It’s their fault,” she said, obviously referring to the powers that be at her school. She looked from one to the other of them and then slumped against Cody. It was impossible to not hold her as she quietly cried. “And it’s my fault. I never should’ve let you hold me, or kiss me, or make love to me. I’m addicted to you…all of you. I had illusions all week that somehow it’d work out…but it can’t, can it?”
“I wish it could, angel,” he said as he squeezed her, his heart aching at the way she trembled. “We should take you home now.”
She nodded and went to Spencer’s bike like an automaton. This time Heath just lifted her onto the bike and then helped her with her hair and the helmet while she sat mutely, defeated.
Cody hated feeling like a cruel bastard. Heath and Spencer had followed his lead since they were kids. He almost wished they’d fight him on this but even they knew it was wrong to expect her to sacrifice her job for them. He should’ve known there was no way to avoid it. The pain she felt was his fault. The pain his brothers felt was his fault, too.
The drive home in the dark was agonizing. Occasionally, he watched Maizy and Spencer, noting how tightly she clung to him, as if she was hanging off a ledge. He wracked his brain trying to think of ways around the issue, even considered contacting Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier for their help. They might be able to find some leverage. But every possible solution he could think of also had the possibility of backfiring. He wondered at the source of the information Maizy’s father and Mrs. Dumphrey had received that had precipitated those confrontations.
Instead of the usual relaxation that a bike ride gave him, he felt tense and his chest ached as they arrived at home again. They hadn’t even had a chance to show her the deck that was nearly finished. Maybe that was for the best. The house was going to seem awfully quiet and empty without her.
She picked up her purse when she walked in the house and turned to the door, but not before he saw her bloodshot eyes and the tearstains on her cheeks. Her rosy lips and nose were a little swollen, too. “I think I’d better go.” She slowly looked around the house, and then at the three of them, and her eyes pooled with tears again.
Maizy the Bear Charmer [Divine Creek Ranch 16] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 25
